Chocoflan – Moist, decadent, chocolate cake layered with a luxurious silky smooth flan and topped with a Mexican caramel sauce Cajeta. This Chocoflan is one of the most delicious and magical cakes you’ll ever have. With its sweet and creamy vanilla flan on top of a moist chocolate cake, you’ll be eating this cake slice after slice!

When I first heard about the name “Impossible Cake” during a Cinco de Mayo party, it got me curious. Why this cake has that name? Like how can a cake be impossible, when all you do is eat it, right? 

So I went to the kitchen and watched my friend make this so-called Impossible Cake. There I was standing behind her, marveling at every part of this drool-worthy Mexican cake!

From then on, I was fixated in making this cake at home while reminding myself not to eat the whole thing. But who am I to resist this? I mean, it wouldn’t be a sin if I just left my boys with two slices each, right? 

After all, I deserve all of those slices for all the hard work! Mind you, it’s quite intimidating when you look at all those steps, but when you see it coming off from the oven, you’ll give yourself a tap on the back.

What is Chocoflan?

This rich, moist, cake, also known as the Impossible Cake or Flan Cake,  is a combination of chocolate cake on the bottom with a luscious flan on top wherein the flan is typically baked or topped with a Mexican sauce called Cajeta.

What is Cajeta?

Cajeta is the Mexican version of caramel sauce. It’s sticky, ooey, and gooey made by heating and caramelizing goat’s milk and sugar until it turns into a thick, rich caramel-y brown sauce. Goat’s milk is more stable as it can endure high heat without scorching.

If you’re familiar with dulce de leche (which I’m also obsessed with🤫), it’s similar to that except that it uses cow’s milk instead of goat’s milk.

This sauce can be used as a spread or filling for bread, a dip for Churros (see my homemade HERE), or toppings to cakes or ice cream. Ugggh, writing this is torture! If I could just drink a whole jar of cajeta, I would!!

PRO TIP: Is your tummy sensitive to goat’s milk? You can go for a cow’s milk or do half cow’s milk and half goat’s milk.

Chocolate Flan Cake

I know the list may be daunting to look at but I swear, this magical cake is not difficult to assemble. Once you make this cake, you’ll probably be as amazed as I did the first time I ate it.

Moist Chocolate Cake

When making the cake batter, make sure your butter is at room temperature or it will not cream properly. Beat the butter and sugar lightly to become more fluffy. Moreover, don’t forget to sift the dry ingredients for a finer texture. Speaking of texture, adding buttermilk to the batter helps keep the cake moist. If you don’t have one at home, you can check out a couple of buttermilk substitutes HERE.

The Flan

Making the flan layer is easy as 1,2,3 as you simply add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse it on high for 30 seconds. Then carefully pour the flan on top of the chocolate batter to form a layer. That’s it! 

This cake truly defies baking logic! You have the cake and flan all in one. Don’t get nervous though if the flan mixture mixes with the chocolate batter. It will just separate once baked.

Cajeta Sauce

Cajeta OR Caramel? Actually, you can use either. But to stay closely true to its original recipe, I’d say go for Cajeta (see the recipe box notes on how to make one). Just a handful of ingredients and a consistent stirring, you’ll have a jar of thick, rich, sweet, caramel Cajeta sauce ready to be used on just about anything! Yep, they keep well in the fridge for up to 3 months!

Tips and Tricks

• Greasing the Pan. This is very important for the recipe and you need to ensure to get into every single nook and cranny even if you are working with a nonstick Bundt pan. You can use oil but butter is good! Yes, melted butter!!
• Add Extra Egg. You can add an extra egg white in the flan in the ingredient list if you want a beautiful, jagged and droopy flan topping.
• Pre-heat the oven. Before you begin whipping the chocolate cake batter, make sure you have pre-heated your oven.
• Allow the Cake to cool. Make sure to not remove the flan right away after you take it out from the oven as it is very important that you allow your cake to cool. If the Bundt pan is warm to touch, then it is not yet time to remove the cake.

More Tempting Cake Recipes to Try

Well, of course, I won’t let you walk away without you checking my other favorite desserts. If you have a sweet tooth like me, you’ll go crazy over these drool-worthy treats. You can thank me later!😉

• Tres Leches Cake
• Mississippi Mud Cake
• Tiramisu
• German Chocolate Cake

How To Make Chocoflan

Preparations

• Prep Oven – Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prep Pan – Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan or use a baking spray instead. Pour in Cajeta in the bottom of the pan and coat it. Set aside.

Make the Cake Batter

• Butter and Sugar – Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar at a medium to high speed until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 4- 5 minutes. (Photos 1-2) 

• Add in Eggs – Stir in the eggs, a little at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. (Photos 3-4) 

• Sift in Ingredients – Cocoa Powder Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon into the batter, and then add vanilla extract. (Photos 5-6)

• Mix in Hot Coffee, Buttermilk – Pour in hot coffee, mix until combined. Finally pour in the buttermilk. Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. (Photos 7 – 8) 

The Flan

(The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)

• Wet Ingredients –  In a blender, combine all the wet ingredients: condensed and evaporated milk, cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract.
• Pulse – Pulse high for 30 seconds, until all the ingredients are combined.

Assembling and Baking the Cake

• Spoon the batter: Spoon the chocolate cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread it evenly. 

• Pour the batter in the pan: Carefully pour the flan mixture over the chocolate cake batter forming 1 layer of cake and 1 layer of flan. Do not be alarmed if the cake mixes together. It will separate when it bakes. Cover with foil paper.

• Place the pan on hot water: Place the cake in a roasting pan, then carefully pour in about 1-inch of hot water to the pan.
• Bake the cake: Transfer the roast pan into the oven, and bake for an hour, or until the surface of the cake is firm to touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

• Remove and Rest: Remove and let it cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled down, wrap the cake in a saran or plastic wrap (this prevents the choco flan from absorbing any flavors from the fridge).
• Cool down in the fridge: Place in the refrigerator until the flan firms up about 2 hours or up to 4 days. Place a large pan or serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, jiggle a little and flip over.

• Scrape the sauces: Remove the pan and scrape any remaining sauce from the bottom of the pan and spread it on the cake.
• Toppings: Top with more Cajeta and garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.

Watch How To Make It

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Chocoflan

CHOCOFLAN - Moist, decadent, chocolate cake layered with a luxurious silky smooth flan and topped with a Mexican caramel sauce Cajeta. This Chocoflan is one of the most delicious and magical cakes you'll ever have. With it’s sweet and creamy vanilla flan on top of a moist chocolate cake, you'll be eating this cake slice after slice!

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 1 hr 20 mins

Cooling Time: 3 hrs

Total: 4 hrs 45 mins

Mexican

Servings 14 slices

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• ▢ ½ cup Cajeta or caramel sauce (plus extra for drizzling at the end)
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup hot coffee
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk , (regular or low-fat)
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped pecans or nuts

Flan

• ▢ 14 - ounce can sweetened condensed milk regular or fat-free
• ▢ 12 - ounce can evaporated milk regular, low-fat or fat-free
• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

• Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan or use a baking spray instead.
• Pour in Cajeta in the bottom of the pan and coat it. Set aside.
• Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar at a medium to high speed until it’s fluffy and starting to look white, about 4- 5 minutes. Stir in the eggs, a little at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition.
• Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon into the batter, and then add vanilla extract.
• Pour in hot coffee, mix until combined.
• Finally pour in the buttermilk.
• Stir well until everything is fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Flan

• (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
• In a blender, combine all the wet ingredients: condensed and evaporated milk, cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pulse high for 30 seconds, until all the ingredients are combined.

Assembling and Baking the Cake

• Spoon the chocolate cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spread it evenly.
• Carefully pour the flan mixture over the chocolate cake batter forming 1 layer of cake and 1 layer of flan.
• Do not be alarmed if the cake mixes together. It will separate when it bakes. Cover with foil paper.
• Place the cake in a roasting pan, then carefully pour in about 1-inch of hot water to the pan.
• Transfer the roast pan into the oven, and bake for an hour, or until the surface of the cake is firm to touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove and let it cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled down, wrap the cake in a saran or plastic wrap (this prevents the chocoflan from absorbing any flavors from the fridge).
• Place in the refrigerator until the flan firms up about 2 hours or up to 4 days.
• Place a large pan or serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, jiggle a little and flip over.
• Remove the pan and scrape any remaining sauce from the bottom of the pan and spread it on the cake.
• Top with more Cajeta and garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.

Tips & Notes:

1. How to Make a Cajeta? Cajeta is a Mexican caramel sauce. It is a combination of goat's milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Slowly simmer them on the stove until it thickens and turns into a caramel. It's also known as "dulce de leche".
2. You can find Cajeta in most supermarkets, especially in Latin specialty markets or online. If you can't find it, then sub it with a thick caramel sauce.
3. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

The MAGIC of this recipe is the flan will seep through the bottom and the chocolate on top as it cooks.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1slice| Calories: 338kcal (17%)| Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)| Protein: 7g (14%)| Fat: 21g (32%)| Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)| Cholesterol: 131mg (44%)| Sodium: 259mg (11%)| Potassium: 244mg (7%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 17g (19%)| Vitamin A: 688IU (14%)| Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)| Calcium: 112mg (11%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)

Author: Imma

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chocoflan, chocolate flan cake, flan cake, impossible cake

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